What Is the Best Martial Arts Workout?

What Is the Best Martial Arts Workout?

What is the best martial arts workout?  All martial arts have something to offer, with regards to fitness, and the  benefits of training in martial arts are multi-layered. Not only is it an enjoyable activity, it also teaches you skills that you may one day have to put to use. In addition to this, though, martial arts is excellent exercise. There’s a reason why the most fit athletes in the world must compete in rounds that last just a few short minutes – martial arts and fighting make for an exhausting, full-body workout. It’s this calorie burning aspect of martial arts that draws many people to the sport, and with that in mind we thought we’d take a closer look at how many calories you can expect to burn by training in various martial arts.

Boxing

Being only a striking sport and a fists-only striking sport at that, boxing may not seem like a full body workout. However, it certainly is. Throwing punches alone requires a great deal of stamina and is superb cardio. When you combine this with the bobbing and weaving and footwork that boxing requires, you’ve got a great workout. On average, boxing burns about 461 calories per hour. While some of the martial arts we’ll look at burn more, boxing is still a fine choice if you are wanting to shed some unwanted weight.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is another striking martial art, except that Muay Thai fighters also strike with their knees, elbows, and legs in addition to their fists. Muay Thai emphasizes strikes that are both swift and powerful, and Muay Thai fighters are known for being able to deliver cripplingly strong blows at lightning speed. Of course, all of this speed and power requires a lot of energy to produce. That’s why training in Muay Thai burns, on average, about 690 calories per hour.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu requires you to expend a lot of effort and energy. While Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trains you to overcome your opponent’s strength with leverage and technique, you’re still fighting against them with every move you make. With a striking martial art, there is not much resistance involved. With a grappling martial art, you are fighting your opponent’s resistance at all times, and most of the time you are having to engage most every muscle in your body to do so. For this reason, training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an excellent way to incarnate calories, and, on average, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will burn around 800 calories per hour.

How does Martial Arts Compare to other Weight Loss Exercises?

Though martial arts as a form of weight loss is quickly growing in popularity, it’s no secret that other forms of exercise are much more common for those looking to burn calories. Exercises such as running, walking, jumping rope, and more are go-to activities for weight loss. How, though, does training in martial arts compare to exercises such as these? Briskly walking burns about 180 calories per hour. You’ll burn much more if you pick up the pace, as jogging burns about 398 calories per hour and running at six miles an hour burns about 557 calories per hour. Meanwhile, jumping rope will burn about 600 calories per hour. Comparing these numbers to the calories you will burn by training in martial arts, it’s easy to see that martial arts is actually a more effective means of burning calories than the most popular calorie-burning workouts. Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu both burn more calories than any of the exercises listed above while boxing is only slightly beat out by running and jumping rope.

Can an Overweight Person Train in Martial Arts? 

People looking for an enjoyable weight loss regime are often unnecessarily scared away from martial arts. It’s easy to look at the MMA fighters on television and assume that training in martial arts requires you to be in peak physical condition. But in the same way that you don’t have to be track star to enjoy running as an exercise, you don’t have to have the physique and stamina of a UFC star to participate in martial arts. The reality is that martial arts is a highly inclusive sport full of coaches and fellow participants who will be thrilled to train with you no matter your physical condition. Most any gym you go to is going to be a melting pot of individuals ranging from highly fit, highly trained fighters to out-of-shape beginners who are just getting into the sport. In addition to this, training in martial arts is not going to require you to perform techniques that are outside your physical limits. Many of the techniques are doable for most anyone, and if a technique is outside of your physical abilities you can still work and practice until you are capable of performing that technique. All said, martial arts is a highly effective means of burning calories and getting in shape, and it is fully accessible to most anyone. If you would like to start shedding the pounds in a way that is both entertaining and practical in a variety of ways, we invite you to give martial arts a try today. Try Boxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for FREE, for 14 days.  Register HERE!